Hong Kong Sea Bass

Good mate Kelvin penned this short article for the Mandarins Newsletter. Thought I'd post it here and share with y'all as well.

"Lo Yu" or Chinese Spotted Seabass (Lateolabrax Maculatus) have always been a bit of mystery to me, or so it was, until this past season when a friend and I decided to chase them in earnest. We came up empty on virtually all of our early "Lo Yu" expeditions -- I put this down to being too eager and fishing for them way too early on in the season, and not fully understanding or appreciating the habitat or behaviour of the "Lo Yu". Having spent countless hours fishing for them this past season, we're slowly piecing the puzzle together and manage to have moderate, but sporadic, success on them.

From what I can gather, most of the "Lo Yu" are not resident in Hong Kong, but swim across from the Pearl River Delta to Hong Kong to spawn during the Winter months. The season seems to peak from November to February. As with its close cousin the Japanese Seabass (Lateolabrax Japonicus) commonly found in Japan, the smaller fish tend to school up while the larger fish tend to be more solitary. Surprisingly, lure fishing for "Lo Yu" has really picked up in Hong Kong in recent years. Take a walk along any well-lit pier, dock, waterfront or bridge in Hong Kong on any given night from Chai Wan to Kennedy Town during the season and you'll probably see dozens of hopeful fisherman fishing for "Lo Yu" with the latest seabass fishing equipment.